The Katunayake Airport Police have arrested two employees of a manpower company engaged in baggage handling of SriLankan Airlines on Sunday (14).
They have been accused of stealing 14 gemstones that were supposed to be taken from Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake to Sydney, Australia from a plane on April 26.
The gems were stolen from among the high-speed airmail parcels delivered by the Colombo Central Mail Exchange to be sent to Sydney.
The theft had taken place inside the flight UL 606 while the cargo was being loaded.
The gemstones have been placed in a box inside a special mail bag. The police said that the seals of the mail bags were carefully broken and 14 gemstones have been stolen.
Meanwhile, gems sent to foreign countries through Sri Lankan airmail have gone missing on 10 occasions during the last three months.
